Emergency Department Experience and the Use of Non-Pharmacologic Treatment for Acute Pain Among Patients with Sickle Disease

Background:

Appropriate management for patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) with acute pain from vaso-occlusive episodes (VOE) primarily includes treatment with parenteral opioid and non-opioid analgesia and fluids if the episode is uncomplicated. Non-pharmacological strategies that significantly affect non-physical aspects of behavioral, social, and cultural life, have been studied for pain treatment in sickle cell patients; however, the data on the effectiveness of these methods are limited.

Objectives:

This work aims to assess the overall ED experience among patients seeking care for acute VOE. We also aim to assess any effective alternative pain management strategies used by patients to treat their acute pain symptoms.

Methods:

We conducted ED follow up assessments for patients who sought care in the ED for acute pain from vaso-occlusive episodes from January 1, 2022- July 15, 2022. These were brief individual phone interviews. The semi-structured interview guide was created using a hospital specific patient experience questionnaire in addition to questions pertaining to pain management in the acute and day-to-day settings, demographic data including, age, sex, emergency department visit characteristics (length of stay (LOS), emergency severity index assignment (ESI), time to first opioid). The interviews were analyzed using a framework matrix analysis. This qualitative data reduction technique was used to review, summarize, and classify the interview data. NVivo 20 qualitative data analysis software includes a framework matrix tool used to manage data and facilitate this analysis in which participant comments about key content were aggregated and entered for review.

Results:

Overview: Among the 21 patients who met study criteria, eight participants are included in this analysis. Six participants identified as male, and two participants identified as female.

ED Experience: Patients rated their ED care from a 3/10 to a 10/10 (avg 6.4, +/- 2.6). Common themes included prolonged wait times for pain management (6/8 participants). Five of the eight patients interviewed expressed gratitude for the care provided though noted some room for improvement. One participant noted "they could have been nicer to me. It's like they don't talk to each other" (2/8 participants). Patients also expressed frustration when intravenous access issues arise and compounding delays in treatment.

Pain management: Three of the eight patients interviewed reported using scheduled opioids (oxycodone-5 patients, and methadone-2 patients) at home every 3-8 hours. One patient declined to answer questions about home opioid use. All patients received hydromorphone for acute management in the ED. Two of the eight patients expressed knowledge of their care coordination pain management plan.

Alternative pain management: Five of the eight patients used heat or hot packs as their primary alternative pain management and specifically referenced this as an intervention that they would find helpful in the ED. Two patients prioritized distractions such as video games or other screen time. One patient relied on family support, massages, and meditation.

Conclusions:

Patients experiencing acute pain from VOE rely on the ED for care. Optimizing that care will not only improve patient's health, but also their well-being. Considering complementary alternatives for acute pain management including heat therapy (packs, blankets) as well as massage (heated chair) or distractions (video games, reading or movies) may provide additional benefits while patients seek care for acute pain crises.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.